It is an exciting moment when you see the very first seed unfurl! For Christmas this year I received a little mini hot house thingee and my very first seed is emerging. How cute it is! All that squirting was not wasted after all! I welcomed the first seed this morning with a few extra squirts! Can hardly wait for his brothers & sisters to pop up! I could get to like growing seeds!

baby figs, aren't they cute?

Further into my garden I notice the little baby figs growing very slowly into large yummy figs! Let us hope that my possum doesn’t like figs too much, maybe a bird net? Last year I attempted to grow eggplants. I had gotten quite good, if I say so myself at the tomatoes & decided to branch out so to speak. The eggplants grew rich and green and lush, all was well. I watered them every evening and I noticed they had beautiful purple, blue coloured flowers, how pretty. Unfortunately the possum thought they looked very tasty as well as pretty and ate every single one! I put out a bird net, but he just went under, over or through. I was a little upset but my children were relieved as they don’t like eggplants even when I hide them in the lasagne. ‘Has this got eggplant in it?’ they ask suspiciously before even eating any. Still, I am hopeful with the figs. So far, so good. Perhaps as autumn draws near you will find me eating figs, ricotta and honey. Bliss!

the tomato patch

Growing your own fruit and vegetables is certainly fun as well as good for you. It combines all the requirements for everyone living in these busy times. It gives you exercise as you dig and wheel the barrow full of compost. It brings relief from stress and somewhere cool and welcoming to spend time in, the garden, not the barrow of compost. As a bonus you get good food to eat or at least you can feel you are doing your bit to feed the wildlife.